Roman Reigns
Roman Reings Leati JosephJoe" Anoaʻi (born May 25, 1985) is an American professional wrestler, former professional Canadian football player, and a member of the Anoaʻi family. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under the ring name Roman Reigns. After playing collegiate football for Georgia Tech, Anoaʻi started his professional football career with brief off-season stints with theMinnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) in 2007. He then played a full season for theCanadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos in 2008 before his release and retirement from football. Anoaʻi then pursued a career in professional wrestling and was signed by WWE in 2010, reporting to their developmental territoryFlorida Championship Wrestling. He made his main roster debut in November 2012 alongside Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose as the Shield. Reigns is a two-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion (with Rollins), and was the2015 Royal Rumble winner and the 2014 Superstar of the Year. He also tied the WWE record for most eliminations in a Survivor Series elimination match with four in the 2013 event, and set the record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match with 12 in the2014 event. He has also main-evented numerous pay-per-views, including WrestleMania 31 and is set to main-event WrestleMania 32. .Footbal career Anoaʻi played football for three years at Pensacola Catholic High School and one year at Escambia High School. In his senior year, he was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Pensacola News Journal.1 He then attended Georgia Institute of Technology, where he was a member of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team. There, he was a teammate of Calvin Johnson, who later became a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Anoa'i was a three-year starter beginning in his sophomore year and was also one of the team captains as a senior.1 Anoa'i was named to the first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) after recording twenty-nine tackles for loss and twelve sacks in 2006.6 After going undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft, Anoa'i was signed by the Minnesota Vikings in May 2007, but was released later that month.78 The Jacksonville Jaguars signed him in August 2007, only to release Anoa'i less than a week later before the start of the 2007 NFL season.7 In 2008, Anoaʻi was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL).9 Wearing the number 99, Anoaʻi played for one season with the Eskimos, featuring in five games, of which he started three.910 Anoaʻi's most notable game came against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in September, where he tied for the team lead with five tackles and had a forced fumble.11Anoa'i was released by the Eskimos on November 10, 2008, and proceeded to retire from football.9 3.Professional wrestling career World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE Florida Championship Wrestling (2010–2012) Anoa'i made his first venture into wrestling in July 2010, when he signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was later assigned to their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW).2 He debuted on September 9, 2010, using the ring name Roman Leakee, in a loss to Richie Steamboat in a singles match. Further losses to Idol Stevens and Wes Brisco ensued, before he gained his first win on September 21 over Fahd Rakman. He continued competing in FCW throughout the remainder of the year, wrestling mainly in tag team matches.12 On the January 16, 2011, episode of FCW television, Leakee was a competitor in a 30-man Grand Royal, but was eliminated.13 Later in 2011, Leakee formed an alliance with Donny Marlow and the pair unsuccessfully challenged Calvin Raines and Big E Langston for the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on July 8.14 In 2012, Leakee pinned FCW Heavyweight Champion Leo Kruger during a tag team match on the January 8 episode of FCW television.15 On the February 5 episode of FCW television, he defeated Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins in a triple threat matchto become the number one contender to the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship.16 He failed to win the championship when he lost to champion Kruger the following week.17 Leakee later won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship with Mike Dalton and would later drop the titles to CJ Parker and Jason Jordan. After WWE rebranded FCW to NXT,18 Anoaʻi, with the new ring name of Roman Reigns, made his NXT debut on the October 31, 2012 episode, defeating CJ Parker.19 The Shield (2012–2014) And WWE world heavy weight Championship (2015–2016) Reigns made his main roster television debut on November 18, 2012, at the Survivor Series pay-per-view alongside Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, assaulting Ryback during the triple threat main event for the WWE Championship, allowing CM Punk to retain the title.20 The trio declared themselves "The Shield" and vowed to rally against "injustice". They denied working for Punk, but routinely emerged from the crowd to attack Punk's adversaries, including Ryback and WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan).21222324 This led to a six-man Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at the TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view, in which Reigns, Ambrose, and Rollins defeated Team Hell No and Ryback in their debut match.25 The Shield continued to aid Punk in January 2013, attacking both Ryback and The Rock.2627 On the January 28 episode of Raw, it was revealed that Punk and his manager Paul Heyman had been paying The Shield and Brad Maddox to work for them.28 The Shield then indistinctly ended their association with Punk while beginning a feud with John Cena, Ryback, and Sheamus that directed to a six-man tag match on February 17 at Elimination Chamber, which The Shield won.293031 The Shield had their first Raw match the following night, where they gained success against Ryback, Sheamus, and Chris Jericho.32 Sheamus then formed an alliance with Randy Orton and Big Show to face the trio at WrestleMania 29, where The Shield emerged victorious in their first WrestleMania match.3334 The following night on Raw, The Shield attempted to attack The Undertaker but were stopped by Team Hell No.35 This set up a six-man tag team match on the April 22 episode of Raw, which The Shield won.36 On the May 13 episode of Raw, The Shield's undefeated streak in televised six-man tag team matches ended in a disqualification loss in an elimination match against Cena, Kane and Bryan.37 On May 19 at Extreme Rules, Reigns and Rollins defeated Team Hell No in a tag team tornado match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.38 They made their first televised title defense on the May 27 episode of Raw, defeating Team Hell No in a rematch.39 On the June 14 episode of SmackDown, The Shield's unpinned/unsubmitted streak in televised six-man tag team matches came to an end at the hands of Team Hell No and Randy Orton, when Daniel Bryan submitted Rollins.4041 Reigns and Rollins defeated Bryan and Orton at Payback to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship.42 Further successful title defenses followed against The Usos on July 14 during the Money in the Bankpre-show and The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) at Night of Champions.4344 On the September 23 episode of Raw, Reigns was pinned for the first time while on the main roster courtesy of the Usos when the Shield participated in and lost an eleven-on-three handicap elimination match.45 In August, The Shield began working for chief operating officer Triple H and The Authority.4647 On the October 14 episode of Raw, Reigns and Rollins lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Cody Rhodes and Goldust in a No Disqualification match, following interference from Big Show.48 At Hell in a Cell, Reigns and Rollins failed to regain the tag team title in a triple threat match.49 The first seeds of dissension were sown in the Shield (especially between Ambrose and Reigns) with Ambrose's boasting of being the only member left with a championship.50 At Survivor Series, Reigns was the sole survivor for his team in the traditional five-on-five elimination tag team match after eliminating four opponents.51 After losing to Punk in a handicap match at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, Reigns defeated Punk in a singles match after a distraction from Ambrose on January 6, 2014, making him the only member of The Shield to have beaten Punk.52 At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Reigns entered the Rumble match at number 15, and set the record for most eliminations in a single Rumble with 12. He eliminated both his Shield teammates, and was the runner-up in the match after being eliminated byBatista.5354 The next night on Raw, The Shield competed in a six-man tag team match against Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, and John Cena, with all three members of the winning team qualifying for the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The Shield lost the match via disqualification after The Wyatt Family interfered and attacked Cena, Bryan, and Sheamus. The Shield wanted revenge and a six-man tag for The Shield against The Wyatt Family at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view was arranged, in which The Shield lost.55 Despite more dispute,56 The Shield reconciled in March.57 In March, The Shield began feuding with Kane, which turned all members of The Shield into fan favorites in the process.58 Over the next few weeks, The Shield continued exchanging assaults with Kane, who was joined by the New Age Outlaws, leading to a match between the two teams at WrestleMania XXX, which The Shield won.59 The feud with Kane also prompted The Shield to sever ties with Triple H, who reformed Evolution to counter them. The Shield defeated Evolution at both Extreme Rules and Payback.6061After Batista quit WWE the following night, Triple H initiated "Plan B" which involved Rollins turning on The Shield and aligning himself with Triple H and The Authority.62 After the dissolution of the Shield in June, Reigns began to work as a singles competitor.63 On the June 16, 2014, episode of Raw, Reigns won abattle royal to gain a spot in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship ladder match at Money in the Bank,64 but failed to win the title at the event.65 Reigns was unsuccessful to capture the title again on July 20, at Battleground in a fatal four-way match (Also involving defending champion John Cena, Kane and Randy Orton).66 The following night on Raw, Reigns started a feud with Randy Orton, which led to a match between the two, on August 17, at SummerSlam, where Reigns defeated Orton.67 After Rollins injured Ambrose, a match between Rollins and Reigns at Night of Champions was advertised. However, Reigns had a legitimate incarcerated hernia which required surgery days prior to the match and as a result, Rollins was declared the winner via forfeit, while Reigns was ruled out of action indefinitely.6869Reigns returned to WWE television on the December 8 episode of Raw, accepting the 2014 "Superstar of the Year" Slammy Award.71 Six days later, at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, when Big Show interfered in John Cena's match against Seth Rollins, Reigns attacked both Big Show and Rollins, helping Cena win.72 This started a feud between Reigns and Big Show,73 in which Reigns defeated him multiple times by count-out74 and disqualification.75 On January 25, 2015, Reigns, entering at number 19, won the 2015 Royal Rumble match with lastly eliminating Rusev.76 The following night on Raw, Reigns acknowledged being part of the Anoaʻi family for the first time on WWE television.77 On the February 2, 2015 episode of Raw, Big Show defeated Reigns after interference from Rollins marking the first time Reigns was pinned in a singles match on the main roster.7879 Reigns was then forced to defend his WrestleMania title shot against Daniel Bryan at Fastlane and succeeded in doing so after beating him via pinfall.8081 Post-Fastlane, Bryan and Paul Heyman endorsed Reigns with "two shockingly transparent promos... attempting to illustrate Reigns' greatness".82 On March 29, at WrestleMania 31, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract while Reigns' match with Brock Lesnar was in progress, turning it into a triple threat. Rollins then pinned Reigns to win the match and the title.83 In April, Reigns re-ignited his feud with Big Show, which culminated in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules, where Reigns defeated Show.84 In May, at Payback, Reigns once again failed to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Rollins.85 On June 14, at Money in the Bank, Reigns competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match, which he failed to win after Bray Wyatt interfered and attacked Reigns while he was trying to retrieve the briefcase.86 Month later, Wyatt defeated Reigns at Battleground, after former Wyatt Family member Luke Harper attacked Reigns.8788 On the August 6 episode of SmackDown, Wyatt accepted Reigns' challenge to a tag team match at SummerSlam, with Reigns and Ambrose facing Wyatt and Harper.89 Reigns and Ambrose defeated Wyatt and Harper at the event,90 and the following night on Raw, in a rematch, the two would be attacked by the debuting Braun Strowman.91 In September, at Night of Champions, Reigns and Ambrose teamed with Chris Jericho and were defeated by Wyatt and his teammates.92 The feud between Reigns and Wyatt ended after their Hell in a Cell match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, on October 25, where Reigns was victorious.9394 On the October 26 episode of Raw, Reigns won a fatal four-way match (also involving Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens and Alberto Del Rio) to become the number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.9596 However, on November 4, then-champion Seth Rollins legitimately injured his knee and vacated the title, which led to a tournament to crown a new champion.97 Following this, Triple H attempted to persuade Reigns into joining The Authority by offering him a bye into the tournament finals which Reigns declined. He then defeated Big Show in the first round,98 Cesaro in the quarterfinals,99 Alberto Del Rio in the semifinals100 and Dean Ambrose in the finals at Survivor Series, to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.101 Triple H attempted to offer congratulations, but was speared by Reigns. Sheamus then cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and pinned Reigns, taking away the title.102103 Sheamus then retained his title against Reigns in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at TLC, after being helped by his fellow League of Nations members Alberto Del Rio and Rusev. Subsequently, Reigns would attack the trio and also Triple H, who came out to stop him.104 The next night on the December 14 episode of Raw, Mr. McMahon granted Reigns a title rematch against Sheamus, with Reigns' career on the line. Reigns fought off McMahon, Del Rio and Rusev on his way to defeat Sheamus and regained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.105 On the January 4, 2016 episiode of Raw, Reigns was able to retain his title against Sheamus, despite McMahon acting as the special guest referee.106 Reigns was then slated to defend his title in the Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Reigns scored a total of five eliminations after entering first, heading backstage for much of the match after an attack by the League of Nations, and was eliminated upon his return by eventual winner Triple H.107 At Fastlane, Reigns pinned Dean Ambrose in a triple threat match also involving Brock Lesnar, to receive a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H at WrestleMania 32.108 4.Personal and Reception While in NXT in 2012, Roman Reigns' character was a "businessman" who was "always dressed to impress" and viewed himself as "the most valuable commodity in WWE".109After transferring to WWE's main roster, his character was changed to the "powerhouse" and "heavy hitter" of the Shield, as well as an "exceptional athlete".110 Noted as the least talkative of the Shield members,111 in mid-2013, Reigns' character was tweaked from "the quiet muscle" to being an "ultra-confident" source of leadership with "quiet strength" and only needing "a few words to make his point".112 CM Punk revealed that he was constantly reminded to make Reigns look "really, really strong" during his match with the Shield at the December 2013 TLC event, despite the Shield being scripted to lose.113 Reigns was voted the 2013 "Most Improved" by Wrestling Observer Newsletter.114At the 2014 Royal Rumble match, Reigns broke the record for most eliminations and finished as the runner-up. The live crowd cheered for Reigns over eventual winner Batista, despite Reigns being a heel.115116 Anoa'i later acknowledged the positive crowd reaction as a "cool situation" and a "surreal moment".117 In mid-2014, Stone Cold Steve Austinsaid that he saw great potential in Reigns,118 while David Shoemaker of Grantland wrote that Reigns had "mystery and intensity", as well as "superstar written all over him".119After the Shield disbanded, Reigns (unlike the other ex-Shield members) retained much of the Shield's aesthetic including ring attire, theme music and ring entrance.122123 It was noted in July 2014 that Reigns was receiving a "vocal seal of approval" from live audiences,124 but suffered "continually fading reactions" each week by September.125 Reigns' win of WWE's 2014 Superstar of the Year Slammy Award garnered surprise to the point of accusations of vote-rigging, but both PWInsider and Dave Meltzer stated that the fan vote was legitimate.126127Reigns then finished in second place for Wrestling Observer Newsletter's "Most Overrated" award in 2014,128 a feat repeated in 2015.129 Writers from the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter criticized Reigns in 2014 and 2015, for a "very limited" in-ring moveset,130 "forced promo delivery"131 and a "petulant and annoyed" attitude ill-befitting of a top babyface.132 Fellow pro wrestler Mikey Whipwreck said Reigns was "trying to be like John Cena", who was "very polarizing".133 From late 2014 to early 2015, various critics raised concerns that Reigns, despite being "not fully ready", was "being pushed too hard, too soon" while WWE tried to make him their next "flagship star", "no matter how fans reacted".128131134135 Dave Meltzer was asked if there had been anyone less over than Reigns while main-eventing WrestleMania: Meltzer answered, "No, there has never been".136 Several WWE personnel defended Reigns; Triple H said that no one could be really ready to be thrust into the company's top spot,137138 while Paul Heyman said that the "talented" Reigns "has adapted to this business as fast as anyone I've ever seen".139 At the 2015 Royal Rumble, Reigns was booed heavily after his victory despite portraying a heroic character and being endorsed by The Rock.140141 At WrestleMania 31, Pro Wrestling Torch described Reigns as needing security for his entrance while receiving "universal boos" and middle fingers.142 Reigns was also booed on the post-WrestleMania''Raw''.143 WWE reportedly confiscated a number of anti-Reigns fan signs both pre and post-WrestleMania 31.144145Despite the fan backlash in early 2015, Reigns' performances at Fastlane, WrestleMania and Extreme Rules were widely praised by reviewers as having "delivered" and "exceeded all expectations", including "a star-making performance" at WrestleMania.146147148149 Yet, Reigns continued to face negative crowd reactions at 2015 PPVs such as Money in the Bank and SummerSlam.150151 In November 2015, Forbes wrote that "WWE continues to manufacture Reigns as a hard-luck underdog" chasing the world title.152 At the 2015 Survivor Series event, Reigns received mixed reactions from the crowd on his way to winning and losing his first WWE World Heavyweight Championship.153 In December, a Rolling Stone writer argued that WWE writers "spent an overwhelming amount of time" on Reigns "at the expense of almost everyone else on the roster ... basically bending over backwards to create new obstacles for him to overcome".154 However, at the Raw after TLC, Reigns got a pop after winning his second world title. The Wrestling Observer then complimented WWE's booking of TLC and the following Raw, saying they "pressed the right buttons" with Reigns when he "beat up two of fans' biggest targets: Vince McMahon and HHH".105 During the 2016 Royal Rumble match, Reigns was booed again, over eventual winner Triple H;155 with a similar negative reaction at Fastlane.108 Pro wrestling journalist Wade Keller observed the crowd volume being turned down to conceal booing of Reigns at Fastlane. Keller said that "Reigns isn't working", that fans "clearly like Dean Ambrosemore", and that McMahon is "pushing somebody who, just to put it simply and bluntly, too many WWE fans don't like".156 Ambrose being cheered over Reigns not only happened at Fastlane, but also during two previous world title matches (Payback and Survivor Series in 2015).153157 Even a prolonged, bloody attack on Reigns on the following night's Raw led to Reigns' adversary Triple H being cheered, including "Yes!" chants.158 CNET described a "fan rebellion" against WWE "moving heaven and earth" to make Reigns "the face of the company ... for the next decade"; as despite Reigns being the storyline "ultimate underdog ... forced (and routinely able) to overcome increasingly insurmountable odds", "many fans are aware that this isn't the case" in real life as "Ambrose, as a physically smaller performer in a land where giants are preferred, is the true dark horse, both on camera and behind the scenes."159 Personal Life Anoaʻi is half Samoan and half Italian.160 Both his father, Sika Anoaʻi, and his brother, Rosey, were professional wrestlers. As a member of the Anoaʻi family, he is a cousin to former professional wrestlers Yokozuna, Rikishi, Umaga, The Tonga Kid, and first cousin once-removed to The Usos, and The Rock (non-biological).10161 Anoaʻi married Galina Joelle Becker in early December 2014.3 He has a daughter, with whom he appeared in a public service announcement in June 2014.162163 At the Georgia Institute of Technology, Anoaʻi majored in management.1 Anoa'i considers Bret Hart his wrestling idol.164 Anoa'i is a Catholic. He uses the sign of the cross every time he enters in the ring.1